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This farm is located in an edge-of-fen settlement in north Cambridgeshire and the existing farmhouse benefits from sweeping views of the fenland landscape beyond.

Alongside the existing 1950’s dwelling a collection of agricultural buildings have been added to the site over time, including cart sheds and an apple barn that have since been adapted to accommodate office space and gite style holiday facilities. The client’s initial brief was to extend their existing dwelling by more than double its size. However it soon became apparent that a new build would prove more economical and would better suit their living needs.

To sensitively accommodate a relatively large amount of space on the site, our concept proposed two linked buildings in order to provide an appropriate scale of massing that mediates between the village vernacular to the front of the site and the agricultural fenland landscape behind. In contrast to the prominent and skewed siting of the existing dwelling, the proposed building footprint has been deliberately set back from the street to follow a building line already established by its neighbours on either side.

The two forms are of differing heights and proportions, with a grander gault brick two-storey townhouse facing the street, linked to a lower level agricultural barn in corrugated sheeting sat behind.

Internally an open plan kitchen, dining and living space is located within the barn form to face the fenland landscape. A separate snug and study room; within the townhouse, faces the street.

On the first floor, four bedrooms are arranged around the linking stairwell that is dramatically enclosed with structural glazing to accentuate the two adjacent volumes.

From the arrival at the entrance hall, long views are immediately offered through the house and towards the fenland landscape beyond, whilst leading directly to the main south aspect family living space that purposefully faces this landscape. A double height space reveals the barn form inside, providing a gallery above that overlooks the family dining area below.

The split building arrangement also helps to accommodate a series of trapped external amenity spaces – with a parking court set back from the street so that parked cars do not to dominate the frontage, whilst to the rear a semi sheltered courtyard garden serving the kitchen and utility room is further enclosed by the existing cart shed that would be used to facilitate large family gatherings in the summer.